Bridges as Public Spaces

The history of bridges is almost as old as the history of urbanism. King Nabopolassar supposedly built the first bridge over the River Euphrates connecting the two halves of the city of Babylon. Prior to that, people had to be ferried across the river.

While the bridge in Babylon indeed brought the two halves together, the term ‘bridging the gap’ in the normal usage too has come to imply an act of bringing two parts together. And in older cities like London and Rome, built along the two banks of the rivers Thames and Tiber respectively, the multitude of bridges help to ‘stitch’ the city together. In the central stretch of the River Thames as it crosses central London, starting from the Vauxhall Bridge in the west till the Tower Bridge in the east, over a distance of five kilometres, more than 10 bridges ‘stitch’ the north and the south side of the city together.

In the older cities, very often, the bridges were almost an integral part of the urban fabric of the cities, an integral part of the network of public spaces. A great example of this is the Ponte Vecchio in Florence where the shopping streets of the city extend onto the bridge. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that Ponte Vecchio is not only a utilitarian structure to cross the River Arno but a market street with a piazza. The city itself extends onto the bridge turning the transportation infrastructure into a bustling marketplace and, halfway over its length of nearly 90 metres, the building on one side is interrupted to create a piazza overlooking the River Arno.

Schematic illustration of River Thames in London (left) and River Tiber in Rome (right) showing the multitude of bridges in the central parts of the two cities

Another example of a bridge that is embedded in the urban network of public spaces in the city is the Ponte St. Angelo in Rome, which starts from the Piazza di Sante Angelo (where three streets come together) to cross the river Tiber and crosses the river functioning almost as the entrance lobby of the Castle Sant’Angelo on the other side of the river. The ten strikingly beautiful sculptures of angels, designed by the famous sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, give the bridge the function of an elegant forecourt of the Castle. The bridge and the castle are part of one architectural composition, visually anchoring the ensemble to the river and the urban surroundings.

A great example of how bridges form an integral part of the network of public spaces can be seen in the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovania. The Triple Bridges in Ljubljana, form an integral part of the pedestrian movement system of the city centre and are almost an extension of the plaza in front of the church. Designed and developed over centuries, the older central bridge was extended by architect Joze Plecnik in 1932 with two pedestrian bridges placed at a slight angle to the main bridge on its two sides. These give access to pedestrians on both sides at two different levels: the street level and the water level. 

Together, the three bridges form an urban composition of great beauty in this historic centre.

So while some bridges become an integral part of the city’s urban spaces, others have a special significance because of the great views they afford. Though travelling from one bank to the other is a functional need, the views can be very exhilarating. Many bridges have, over time, become well known for specific activities, which gives them importance as a public space.

In Mostar (Bosnia), the tradition of jumping from the Stari Most Bridge into the River Neretva is a rite of passage for the town’s young men. This particular bridge also became an international symbol of Mostar when it was destroyed in 1993 by Croatian military forces during the Croat-Bosnian War. The international consternation over its destruction was so great that after the war it was rebuilt in 2004.

Some bridges also achieve a special significance during special religious processions. The Kintai Bridge in the city of Iwakuni in Japan, with its wooden arched construction forms a great backdrop for the celebration of the Cherry Blossom festival, wherein the cherry blossoms form special significance in Japanese cultural and philosophical beliefs.

A festival of the modern age in which thousands participate gives some of the bridges in major cities an importance of another type. I am referring here to the Marathon, one of the oldest events at the Olympics, which is run every year in many major cities around the world. 

Professional runners from far afield are joined by tens of thousands of amateurs to compete at this event. Public spaces of cities are treated to a special sight during this event. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Tower Bridge in London and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York provide the public space necessary to rerun this major urban event every year, recreating a special aura on the day.

While these bridges get special significance as public spaces during the event of the Marathon, or a similar special event, some bridges, simply because of their location and design, function almost every day as boulevards for strolling. The Millenium Bridge in London is a great example of this. Located between St. Paul’s Cathedral on the north bank and the Tate Modern on the south bank, the location and design of this brilliant piece of architecture invites thousands to stroll up and down this pedestrian bridge. More than simply the necessity to cross the river, the adventure to walk and experience it seems to drive its many users.

Two other bridges need a special mention because they bestow the experience of using the bridge a special quality due to the specific design of the bridges.

In Singapore, the Helix Bridge in the Marina Bay area works as a raised walkway around the area. The design of the bridge emphasizes the fact that the bridge is seen not only as an infrastructural element to go from A to B, but also as a walking-experience to view and appreciate this touristic area. The bridge has four viewing platforms called ‘viewing pods’, which offer the user an extensive view of the attractions and activities in the area, enticing the visitors to use them. 

The bridge effectively works as an instrument to promote tourism, as it affords a great view of the skyline of the city.

A new pedestrian and cyclist bridge recently completed in the Dutch city of s’Hertogenbosch offers an experience of another kind. The bridge, called the Paleisbrug, links the historic city of s’Hertogenbosch with the newly redeveloped urban quarter called Paleisbrug. The nearly 200-metre-long bridge, which crosses a busy railway track, has been conceived as a linear park with trees and plants. Not just the experience of going from west to east, but the possibility of whiling away some time on this raised park makes it an important part of the network of public spaces. The bridge/park has been so designed that, due to the lifts provided at its two ends, it also allows cyclists and physically challenged people to make use of it as a green urban space in the city. 

Bridges as public spaces have always been synonymous with the Swiss city of Lucerne, which has been historically bisected by the River Reuss. Two of the most important in these are the Kapellbrucke and the Spreuerbrucke, dating respectively from the early 14th and 15th centuries.

Both of these wooden bridges get special importance in the network of public spaces because not only are they both covered with a sloping roof, but both also contain artworks that are more than 400 years old. A walk over these bridges not only gives the user shelter from the elements, but also the pleasure of viewing some paintings: the 120 captioned triangular paintings in the Kapellbrucke are from the early 1500s and chronicle the city’s history.

The above examples establish that while bridges have the utilitarian function of helping people cross a river (an obstruction on ground), if designed properly in relation to their context, they also have the potential to become urban icons.